Posted by JenStar on November 12, 2004, at 21:31:33
In reply to Hello, I'm Daisy and I go to therapy a lot..., posted by daisym on November 12, 2004, at 17:24:41
hi Daisy,
I just realized that I used your post as a starting point for my own little novella. Sorry for being all ME ME ME!When I read your post I was glad to hear what a supportive T you have. It sounds like a good idea -- giving in to the support and letting yourself be helped.
If people don't understand, too bad for them. Sometimes people have prejudices and preconceived notions about stuff (not just therapy, but all kinds of things that are new & different to them) and once they are exposed to it they develop a more open-minded view.
I'm not saying it's your job to open their minds -- what a burden THAT would be! Just that sometimes it happens naturally, as it did with your friend. If you asked her before, she might have said that only 'really ill' people see a T 2-3X/week. Now that she knows YOU go, she can see other possibilities - that is IS also for regular people working on issues.
It doesn't mean that you're weak or poor or shaky...it means that you actually have the courage to get in there and fix things that are broken. So many people don't even try to fix stuff! I think therapy takes courage.
Anyway, I think it's important to be strong and honest about therapy. Don't ever apologize for it, don't make light of it / fun of it, and don't act like it's something embarrassing. Act like it's mundane -- the dentist, the post-office, the dog-grooming. It's not mundane, exactly, but it IS normal and part of a normal routine.
I myself made the mistake of poking fun at my therapist with some of my friends who thought therapy was "kooky". I felt that I was betraying myself when I did this, b/c the therapy WAS important to me. I would never do this again b/c I feel that I have more personal strength now. I guess I learned from that experience.
Anyway, I think that people will follow your lead. If you act like the Therapy is normal, cool, and a standard thing to do for you, the friends will be cool with it too and won't see it as a big deal.
take care.
hope it all goes well.JenStar
poster:JenStar
thread:415161
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20041104/msgs/415255.html